Parish employee accused of stealing fuel, fired

GONZALES - Detectives arrested a parish worker after they said he used an Ascension Parish government fuel card to steal more than $7,000 worth of fuel.

Sheriff's deputies accused Carey Richard, 36, of stealing more than 2,000 gallons of fuel during the month of June 2014. They also believe he may have been selling some of the stolen fuel.

The parish fired Richard after his arrest.

Investigators said they began looking into the fuel theft on July 7. They said Richard used several different fuel cards to make the purchases, using another parish employee's PIN to make some of the transactions.

Detectives said the case is still under investigation and that the total amount of fuel lost could be more than $50,000.

Investigators booked Richard into the parish jail on charges of identity theft, theft, and unauthorized use of a credit card. His bond was set at $80,000.